Twist of Events: The True Story of How Cristiano Ronaldo Eventually Landed in Manchester United On His Way to Manchester City

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Man Utd have agreed a £19m deal to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford from Juventus; Portuguese star scored 118 goals in 292 games for the club between 2003 and 2009, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League; will he enjoy success there second coming. 

 

 All the twists and turns of a summer-long transfer saga condensed into the space of a few days. Cristiano Ronaldo seemed heading for the Etihad Stadium but now an even more remarkable story is unfolding as he returns to Manchester United.

When the news broke that Ronaldo was heading to Manchester City, friends and fans so dear to him started calling and texting him "Please Ronaldo don't do this to us."  It was about Pep Guardiola, he kingpin from the rival focks and Ronaldo can't play under him, from the other side. 

It was a more remarkable, more welcomed news that Ronaldo is finally returning to his former club. A dream come through for him and perhaps, the best signing for Manchester United. 

It is 12 years since his departure. Twelve years during which he has scored 551 goals in 572 appearances for Real Madrid and Juventus, adding four more Champions Leagues to the one he claimed with Manchester United and a whole lot more besides.

His return is a thrilling and emotive prospect for supporters. Ronaldo is still adored at Old Trafford, his name still sung in the terraces and his achievements still a source of considerable pride.

But will his extraordinary, trophy-hoarding success continue under his former team-mate Ole Gunner Solskjaer? And what kind of player are United getting all these years later?

Ronaldo is undoubtedly a different player from the one who left Old Trafford more than a decade ago but even at 36 years old, he remains an exceptional goalscorer.

His output is no longer at the extraordinary heights of his peak years at Real Madrid, where he regularly surpassed the 50-goal mark, but he leaves Juventus having netted 101 times in 134 games for the Italian giants at an average of nearly 34 per season.

Ronaldo was unable to prevent them from slumping to a fourth-place finish last season but there was a Coppa Italia triumph to add to the back-to-back Serie A titles he won in the previous two campaigns and he was no less prolific in front of goal.

In fact, his total of 29 Serie A goals put him five clear of anyone else in the division. Across Europe's major leagues, only two players - Lionel Messi (30) and Robert Lewandowski (41) - scored more.

Ronaldo followed up those domestic scoring exploits with a five-goal haul for Portugal at Euro 2020, eclipsing Miroslav Klose as the top-scoring player at World Cups and European Championships and equalling the all-time international scoring record on 109 goals.

Age has not blunted his goalscoring instincts. In fact, he has scored more times in the last three seasons in Italy than he did in the final three of his first stint with Manchester United.

He remains remarkably robust for a player of his age too. Across his three full seasons in Turin, Ronaldo featured in 85 per cent of Juventus' Serie A fixtures and an even higher percentage of their Champions League games.

The numbers will encourage Solskjaer and United that he has plenty left to offer. Ronaldo turns 37 in February but he remains one of the world's best players. And crucially, for a side which needs more of them, he still brings a guarantee of goals too.

Ronaldo's extraordinary longevity is down, in part, to his ability to adapt and evolve his game.

The Portuguese left Old Trafford in 2009 as an explosive but at times erratic winger. He returns as an unrivalled goal poacher, less involved in general play but utterly ruthless in the opposition box.

That is not to say he has deserted the flanks. At Juventus, Ronaldo was used as one of two central strikers alongside Alvaro Morata, meaning he still had freedom to drift towards the left, from where he cut inside to such devastating effect as a young player.

But back at United, Solskjaer's preference for a 4-2-3-1 formation means Ronaldo will likely play as a lone striker and may therefore be required to position himself more centrally.

In truth, that adjustment is likely to suit him. After all, Ronaldo scored the majority of goals for Juventus from between the width of the posts and it was a similar story for much of his time in Madrid.

He still has a penchant for the spectacular and still likes to try his luck from long distance, but his shotmap for last season in Serie A underlines how the emphasis has changed.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo only scored once from outside the area. A player who previously scored all kinds of goals now gravitates towards the six-yard box - and few are more clinical than him there.

It helps, of course, that he has so many different strands to his game.

Ronaldo was not known for his heading ability as a young player but it has become a formidable weapon over the course of his career.